Kevin Kelly says returning to NJPW would be fun.
Kelly previously had a run as NJPW's lead English commentator for several years. He left the company in November 2023 after he joined AEW. AEW fired Kelly in March 2024, reportedly due to his social media outburst towards Ian Riccaboni and his usage in AEW.
Speaking with Mark O'Brien for Bodyslam.net, Kevin Kelly was asked whether he had any conversations with NJPW about potentially returning to the company at some point.
“Chris [Charlton] and I talked about maybe me going back for Wrestle Kingdom, for Tanahashi’s last match. But I don’t think it went any further than that. I think it was something that he was gonna run up the flagpole, to see if anybody would salute. I would love to, but at this point in time, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Walker [Stewart] is doing a great job. They’re not looking to replace him. It would be to have me come in and add my point of view as the third man. If Walker couldn’t make it, for example, would I be available to do something? Yeah, sure. But I think again they can find ways to have Walker [work] those shows since they’re already paying him. But yeah, that’d be fun. I would love to go back for Wrestle Kingdom," Kelly said.
In September 2024, Kevin Kelly and The Tate Twins filed a lawsuit against AEW, Tony Khan, and Ian Riccaboni. Kelly claims that AEW breached his contract and interfered with his ability to find work elsewhere. More information is available here.
Click here to see what Kelly had to say about his departure from AEW.
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